The soldiers’ detention triggered angry protests by supporters demanding their release, including members of parliament and at least two government ministers.
An Israeli military court opened an initial hearing for nine soldiers detained over what a defence lawyer said were allegations of sexual abuse of a Palestinian at a shadowy facility where Israel has held prisoners from Gaza during the war.
An investigation by The Associated Press and reports by rights groups have exposed abysmal conditions and abuses at Sde Teiman, the military base where most of the thousands detained in Gaza during the war have been held. Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, who denounced the protester break-ins at the sites, demanded an investigation into whether hard-line National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir “prevented or delayed the police response” to the riots.
The defence lawyer, Rom, said the incident under investigation took place at Sde Teiman a month ago. He said the detainee attacked officers during a search, and the soldiers “used force but didn’t do anything sexual.” He said the detainee was a high-ranking Hamas militant. In an unrelated case, the military said Tuesday that prosecutors issued an indictment against a reserve soldier accused of inflicting “severe violence” against Palestinian detainees he was tasked with guarding, by allegedly beating them with a club or his personal weapon on several occasions. He allegedly filmed the beatings, the military said.
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